Google Testing 'Project Stream' Game-Streaming Service

Google is testing a game-streaming service, dubbed Project Stream, that’ll let you play PC games on Chrome.

A public trial begins Friday; it will involve streaming the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Odyssey to a limited number of participants. Interested gamers can apply here.

“We’ve been working on Project Stream, a technical test to solve some of the biggest challenges of streaming,” Google product manager Catherine Hsiao wrote in a Monday blog post. “For this test, we’re going to push the limits with one of the most demanding applications for streaming—a blockbuster video game.”

Google offered a glimpse of what the streaming service will look like in the clip below. It shows Assassin’s Creed Odyssey running at 60 frames per second at 1080p with no apparent game lag.

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Google isn’t saying how far along Project Stream actually is, and whether it’ll launch any time soon. But the test is designed to address the challenges of streaming the latest gaming content with little to no latency while maintaining the cutting-edge graphics.

The public test will be open to a limited number of participants based in the US who have access to internet connections capable of 25 megabits per second. Gamers who receive an invite will be able to play the game for free until mid-January

Google’s efforts to get into game streaming indicate that the market for them is starting to get crowded. Electronic Arts, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Sony are all developing their own cloud gaming services, too. Google was previously rumored to be developing a subscription-based game streaming service that would be offered over Chromecast or even a Google-made console.

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